A Word about Special Ingredients

I personally like to get all my vitamins and nutrients from nature.  I believe in a balanced diet, not a lot of supplements.  I have friends who will argue with me on that point, but that's just my own belief.

A detox diet is different though, you're doing things out of the ordinary in order to achieve extraordinary results.  There are a few things I read about, in multiple sources, that promised health benefits that I felt were worth exploring.  I'll be using all these in the recommended amounts.


Maca
One of the new Superfoods, the maca root has been a staple in the towns and villages of Peru for thousands of years and has been used for food and  medicinal purposes.  It's an energy booster and good vegan source of vitamin B12 - so skip the coffee and add 1 Tablespoon of Maca to your morning smoothie.  It supports a healthy endocrine system, regulating hormones that are often out of whack due to environmental estrogens. It’s calcium and vitamin C help build muscle mass, while its alkaloids, which help the body metabolize, help the body transport all these nutrients just where they are needed.  And on top of all that, it's a great aphrodisiac.

Lecithin Granules
Lecithin is an essential nutrient that is required by your body, but not made in adequate amounts. It’s found naturally in foods like egg yolks and organ meats, which most people don’t often eat. Soy lecithin has many health benefits. It adds creaminess to recipes and is a source of choline, which helps dissolve body fat and cholesterol and can help regulate your kidney, liver and gallbladder function. It has also been shown to fight memory loss, and grow healthy hair and skin.  A main reason I picked this one up is because it also has a yummy, cheesy taste and is great to sprinkle on salads or other dishes.

Kelp Powder

Kelp is a type of seaweed that is used to flavor foods and also taken to add iodine to the body, which helps fight infection and disease. Of it's many benefits, it has been used as a blood purifier. It is said to cleanse the body of radiation, which is why there was a huge run on it after Fukoshima. Because of its detoxifying effects, it is also used to treat conditions of the bowel. Kelp is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and iodine, the last of which is essential to normal thyroid function. You can use it to season food as mentioned above. It is great for a salt replacement on salads, as a seasoning, or in a "green smoothie". I must admit that I don't really like the taste of this - pretty fishy for a vegetarian - so I only take it in capsule form.  However you take it, do not consume more than 1-2 teaspoons a day, or for more than 2 weeks at a time without a 2 week break.


Psyllium Husk 
Psyllium husk come from the Plantago ovata plant which is grown mainly in India and are the coating found around the seed. They come in a dried or powdered form.  They are often used in the detox process and have been show to effectively cleanse the colon and help with blood circulation - especially good for "Vata" doshas.  The substance is a bulking agent (mucilage). It swells within the intestine to a gel, helping to absorb toxins and speed transit time of waste through the intestine. This reduces the toxic build-up that can occur, especially during juice fasting. Psyllium husk is highly effective when taken about 30 minutes before meals. This way, the husks will have time to expand in your stomach and give you a "full" feeling. This will help you eat smaller meals and thus lose unwanted pounds. Do this during a juice cleanse to help scrub out your colon. Add 1 teaspoon of psyllium seed to 1 cup (8 oz) of warm water. Mix well, and then drink immediately before it becomes too thick to swallow comfortably. On a detox cleanse, it's recommended to do this when you wake, before breakfast.  You can take it every day for up to 7 days, or as needed.
 

Glutamine 
Glutamine is an amino acid or protein building block produced by the body. It serves a variety of functions in supporting the immune, digestive and nervous system and helps remove excess ammonia from the body. Glutamine is also found in foods such as meats, poultry, cheese, spinach and cabbage. It helps regulate the body's pH, or the balance of acids and bases, required for the proper functioning of cells. It also helps regulate blood glucose levels and can be converted to glucose or energy for the body when needed. Glutamine also supports the HGH, or human growth hormone secretion. HGH plays a large role in fat metabolism and muscle growth.  Especially during a detox, it's recommended that you take 1 teaspoon of Glutamine powder the last thing before you go to bed to help maintain the integrity of your gut wall, your first line of defense from toxins.

 
Pau d'Arco
The Incas and native tribes of South America use pau d’arco bark externally as a poultice or decoction for treating skin diseases including eczema, psoriasis, fungal infections, hemorrhoids and skin cancers. Consumed as a tea, it restores the acid/alkaline balance of the colon, promotes healing, and has detoxifying properties.  It has also been used as a blood purifier, to treat ulcers and rheumatism and is said to cure leukemia. It also restores the acid/alkaline balance of the colon, promotes healing, and has detoxifying properties.  The recent popularity of pau d’arco in western herbology is attributed to its antifungal activity in treating inflammatory skin conditions, leukemia, dysentery, jaundice, ulcers, and rheumatism. It also contains bitter compounds that have anti-tumor activity especially in certain blood and skin cancers. Pau d'Arco tea has reportedly had beneficial effects for cancer patients, anywhere from alleviation of chemotherapy symptoms to complete remission of tumors. It is an excellent herbal source of calcium. Make tea of 1 heaping Tablespoon, steep for 5-20 minutes in 4-6 cups of water. Drink 3x daily. 

Raw Meal Plans

Preparing raw food, and making it interesting, takes some thought and planning.  You could just eat raw soups and salads for a few weeks.  This is an option as long as you maintain your intake of cruciferous vegetables, superfoods, protein, antioxidants and minerals from the foods that you choose.  If you want to get creative (and I did),  it's really helpful to get some recipe books because of the unique nature of the preparation.  I got a few from my local library and found them to be incredible guides.  Here are my top picks:

Rawsome!: Maximizing Health, Energy, and Culinary Delight With the Raw Foods Diet, by Brigitte Mar - This book is chock-full of information about the nutrients in foods and other raw products, many of which you may be unfamiliar with. It also has a good recipe section. 

The Art of Raw Food: Delicious, Simple Dishes for Healthy Living, by Jens Casupei - Beautiful photography, but more importantly, unique + tasty recipes 

Raw Living: Detox Your Life and Eat the High Energy Way, by Kate Wood - Helpful if you're trying to satisfy kids on a raw diet. The recipe section had a handful of winners. 

Super Cleanse: Detox Your Body for Long-Lasting Health and Beauty, by Adiana Niemerow - This book has a wonderful array of different detox diets ranging from 1 to 10 days. It lists the why's and how's of each, and provides a few recipes too. At also had a wonderful section on creating your own non-toxic household cleaners to further detox your life. 

The meal plan I'll be posting includes my top picks from these books, with tweeks that I found made the recipes less oily and better overall. If you're a picky eater or love to cook, do your own experimentation. The goal is to work with what's fresh and in season.  Once you understand the basic cooking principles it's easy to tailor recipes to suit you. Have fun with the process. 

"Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn."  - Garrison Keillor

The Benefits of Raw

The raw food diet is based on the belief that the most healthful food for the body is uncooked. Although most food is eaten raw, heating food is acceptable as long as the temperature stays below 104 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooking is thought to denature the enzymes naturally present in food. According to raw foodists, enyzymes are the life force of a food, helping us to digest food and absorb nutrients. They believe that by following a raw food diet:

• You will have more energy
• Your skin will have a much better appearance
• Your digestion will improve
• You will lose weight
• Your risk of developing heart and cardiovascular diseases will significantly drop

The staple foods of a raw diet are quite similar to that of a macrobiotic diet, with the primary difference being in the preparation.  While macrobiotics can cook their brown rice, quinoa + beans, raw foodists believe you should sprout these grains and legumes instead to maintain maximum nutritional value.  A raw diet also allows for some nightshade vegetables - like tomatoes and peppers. A raw detox is especially great to do in the summer because it incorporates so much fresh produce and is cooling.

To get the most out of a raw diet, food is typically prepared by:

• Sprouting
• Dehydrating
• Blending
• Fermenting
• Pickling
• Juicing 

On the flip side, other foods do become more healthful after cooking, because the fibrous portion is broken down. For example, cooked tomatoes contain three to four times more lycopene than raw tomatoes.  Still, many sources I researched swear by the benefits of going raw for detoxification for a 2-4 week duration. They also mention that it's easier to switch to a raw diet after your body has already had a chance to detoxify.  And, it's a recommended to go raw for a couple days before and after a juice cleanse to ease the transition.

Ultimately, a good diet is all about balance.  Eating foods that are nutritious, healing, hydrating, delicious, mostly organic.  And doing it consciously.

A common problem or complaint about going raw is that the meals are more difficult and time-consuming to prepare. This is certainly true of several of the recipes I've come across - and I like to cook!  Cooking raw often requires special equipment - blenders, juicers, dehydrators - and advance preparation for sprouting.  So keep that in mind when planning your diet.   In my next post, I'll be sharing tasty recipes and meal plans that keep practicality in mind.

"Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it? You can't taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie." - Terri Guillemets

Macrobiotic Meal Plans

Since a macrobiotic diet has ancient, and spiritual roots, there is a lot of background behind the structure of meal planning.  The goal is to maintain balance and ensure you reap the highest nutritional and energetic benefits from your food.  This is the very abbreviated version of what you need to know. 

One of the key components of meal planning is the philosophy of how nature flows between opposites. The study of this flow, called The Five Element Theory, is 5,000 years old in Oriental Medicine. The elements are Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Tree.  These equate to the 5 tastes - bitter, sweet, sharp, salty, sour.  Each meal should include all 5 elements to maintain balance in the body in a variety of ways.  It's really helpful to get a book that specifically lists what foods are what elements. 

The 7 Essential Components of a complete menu include:

• Grain
• Protein
• Sea Vegetable
• Vegetables: cooked and raw
• Pickles
• Dessert (optional)

 
And the 5 Elements:

• Bitter
• Sweet
• Sharp
• Salty
• Sour

Sound familiar?  They should.  They're the same elements of the Ayurvedic diet.  Here are some suggestions of how to incorporate the principles into your meal planning based on the season.


Summer:  

          G: Polenta with fresh Corn (sweet)  
          P: Creamy Red Lentils (bitter & creamy)  
          S: Arame with Sunflower Seeds & Chives (salty, sharp & chewy)  
          V: Fresh Salad with Carrot flowers (crunchy) 
          P: Quickly-pressed Chinese Cabbage, Red Radish & lemon (sour)                           
          D:  Fresh Berries (sweet) 

Autumn:  

G: Broiled Millet Squash Loaf (sweet)  
P: Baked or Fried Seitan Steaks with Mushroom/Basil Gravy (crunchy & creamy)  
S: Hiziki with Mustard & Scallions (salty & sharp & chewy)  
V: Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage (sweet & sour) or Collard Greens (bitter)  
P: Takuan pickle (salty)  
D: Dried Fruit Compote (sweet)

Winter: 

G: Brown Rice (chewy)  
P: Baked or Fried Tempeh with Ginger (crunchy & sharp)  
S: Shio Kombu (salty)  
V: Sweet and Sour Red Beets (sweet & sour) or Kale with creamy dressing (bitter & sour)
P: Takuan pickle (salty)  
D: Winter Squash pudding (sweet)

Spring:

G: Hato Mugi Barley (sweet & chewy)  
P: Sauteed Tofu with Peas & Ginger (sharp)  
S: Dulse Condiment with Chives (salty)
V: Fresh Lettuce and Wild Greens (bitter & crunchy) with Carrot Flowers, Cucumbers, Sunflower Seeds & dressing
P: Pickled Red Radishes (sharp & sour)  
D: Lemon Pudding  (sour & creamy)

Always ask yourself - Do you have something Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Salty and Sharp in the menu plan?  Usually the vegetables are sweet (i.e. squash), the salad dressing or pickle is sour, the leafy greens are bitter, the sea vegetable is salty and the protein is sharp (i.e. something with ginger).  Don't feel that every meal needs to have 6-7 courses.  These are just samples to give you an idea of what a balanced meal is all about - something cooked long + something raw, something more plain with something more seasoned, a light food with something denser.

Regarding sweet: It's important not to use any refined sugars. The best sweeteners are those from food, but maple syrup, barley malt, brown rice syrup, and agave syrup may be used too. 

This is one of my personal favorite macrobiotic recipes of all time, and a huge hit with everyone I've made it for.  "I am Whole" from Cafe Gratitude.  I prefer it with brown rice instead of quinoa. 

Here are more suggestions on how to balance the 5 tastes at each meal.

Other rules to remember:

• Unlike other "diets" that recommend lots of water, you should only drink when thirsty
• Eat two or three meals every day
• Foods should be organic and must grow, or be produced, within a 400-mile radius 
• No cooking in a microwave.  Stove-top cooking in cast iron or stainless steel preferred.

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
- Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto  

The Benefits of Macrobiotic

I'm beginning my detox with 2 weeks on a macrobiotic diet.  It's really not very complicated, if you follow these basic rules.  In my next post I'll share tips to meal planning and some recipes.  Here are the rules:  

Principle Foods

• Whole grains: Approximately 40 to 50 percent by volume for the amount of food consumed for one day
• Vegetables: Approximately 35 percent of the day’s total percentage of food from greens, roots, and ground varieties
• Beans: Approximately 5 to 10 percent beans or bean products (tempeh, tofu, so on), either canned or dried

Secondary foods

• Fruits: Approximately 5 to 10 percent, according to sweet cravings
• Beverages: Grain-based teas, herbal teas, vegetable juices
• Oils, nuts, seeds, and limited dairy products: Approximately 5 to 10 percent natural vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds
• Reduced animal protein: Approximately 5 to 10 percent fish only (preferable), or eliminate and substitute with beans or soy protein
• New foods: Devote a small percentage of your dietary template to exploring new foods, such as sea plants or fermented foods (sauerkraut, pickles, miso, etc.) 

Here's a good list of dietary recommendations.

Foods to Avoid

You'll need to make changes in the way you eat to achieve the best results. By avoiding the following foods, you may increase energy, sleep better, stabilize blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and tame cravings.

• White rice and white flour
• Meat and eggs
• Milk, cheese, cream, butter, yogurt, and ice cream
• Heavy use of spices
• All grains with gluten
• Refined oils
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Recreational drugs
• Medications (with some exceptions for current prescriptions)
• Fruit juice
• Tropical fruits, including coconut
• Any food containing white, brown, or any other refined sugar
• Foods containing chemicals, preservatives, dyes, and insecticides
• Nightshade vegetables (There's actually no conclusive evidence that these are really bad for you, except if you suffer from arthritis, have cancer, or AIDS. If so, then you should definitely eliminate them from your diet.)

Here's a good list of all the foods you should reduce consumption of, or avoid.  In addition, to maintain proper yin/yang balance, all extremely yang foods and all extremely yin foods are avoided. All animal foods, including eggs and dairy products, are believed to have a strong yang quality. Extremely yin foods and beverages include nightshade vegetables, refined sugars, chocolate, tropical fruits, soda, fruit juice, coffee, and hot spices. Today, people tend to crave and consume a large volume of these yin foods in order to (unknowingly) balance a high intake of yang foods, like meat. These cravings are simply the results of opposites attracting.

Food Principles of Macrobiotics

These principles, if used daily, are effective ways to control and sustain your health, balance nutrition, and condition your body.

• Enjoy your food 
• Only eat when you're hungry
• Emphasize seasonal and local foods
• Be mindful of quantity and quality
• Avoid dietary extremes
• Chew your food thoroughly
• Use the Power of Five in food preparation: The five food groups, flavors, textures, cooking styles, and colors.

Since I'm doing this for detoxification, I'll also be incorporating

 
The 6 Golden Rules of Detox

1. Drink 8 glasses of water every day (about 3 pints)
2. Eat a tablespoon of ground seeds every day
3. Eat a serving of supergreens mix every day
4. Eat a serving of cruciferous vegetables every day
5. Have a small garlic clove or onion every day
6. Drink one juice or smoothie every day (veg or fruit, depending on the diet)

See? Easy. Don't worry, I'll share the simplified version of all that I learn along the way. You're going to be seeing a lot of posts from me this month related to diet and detox. I've been asked by friends and colleagues so many times about my diet and how I stay fit at 40+. This is a great opportunity for me to learn more, actually document it, and help others on the path to good health. 

“Just because you’re not sick doesn’t mean you’re healthy.” - Author Unknown

Ayurvedic Meal Plans

The three Ayurvedic doshas each do best with a prescribed meal plan. This is the recommended way to keep yourself in balance and slow the signs of aging. Most of these elements can also easily be incorporated into a macrobiotic diet. Especially consider the addition of dosha-specific spices.


The Vata dosha

This body type is typically a much smaller frame. This type is very cold and dry. Apply these guidelines for balance.

10 Best Foods to Eat for Vata: Vata benefits from heavy, oily, and warm food (these qualities are very important, more than the individual food items).

1. Clarified butter or butter (you can add it to anything you eat)
2. Fresh ginger (best pungent spice; can be added to food or made into fresh ginger tea)
3. Warm milk (preferably with a pinch of powdered ginger and cardamom)
4. Cream of rice or wheat (with some ghee, ginger and cardamom)
5. Warm soups and long-cooked stews (preferably with some root vegetables, such as beets and carrots)
6. Almonds (sprouted)
7. Sweet fruit, like dates, figs, and red grapes (room temperature)
8. Root vegetables, like carrots, red beets, and sweet potatoes (cooked and spiced)
9. Kitchari (also with ghee, fresh ginger and root veggies)
10. Warm broth

The Pitta dosha

This body type is a medium, more muscular build. Balance out your body type’s intensity and acidity with these guidelines.

10 Best Foods to Eat for Pitta: Pitta benefits from heavy, cold, and dry food.

1. Clarified butter
2. Milk (with a pinch of cardamom)
3. Sunflower seeds
4. Steamed broccoli
5. Lassi (½ cup plain good quality yogurt + ½ cup water with a pinch of cumin)
6. Cucumber
7. Salads and other leafy greens
8. Cold cereal, such as oats
9. Kitchari (with cumin, coriander and fresh cilantro)
10. Lentils and other legumes

The Kapha dosha

This body type is typically the largest of the body types. Physically, they have wide hips/shoulders; thick wavy hair; good physical stamina. Follow the guidelines to boost metabolism and digestion. 

10 Best Foods to Eat for Kapha: Kapha benefits from dry, light, and hot food.

1. Hot water with fresh ginger, honey, and lemon (I know it's not food, but Kapha in general does better with less food and this drink can be used as food substitute)
2. Warm buckwheat, rye or millet
3. Kitchari (make it quite spicy; with fresh ginger, pepper, and chili)
4. Astringent fruit, such as pomegranate, apricot or persimmon
5. Leafy greens, such as dandelion, kale and beet greens
6. Artichoke, cauliflower and green beans
7. Sprouts
8. Soy milk
9. Lentils and other legumes
10. Steamed brussel sprouts

10 Best Foods to Eat Regardless of Which Body Type You Are

1. Kitchari (good for all body types)
2. Basmati rice (one of the main ingredients in Kichadi)
3. Mung dal (the other main ingredient in Kichadi)
4. Apples, apricots, berries
5. Asparagus and green beans
6. Peas and cilantro
7. Clarified butter
8. Lassi (½ cup plain good quality yogurt + ½ cup water with a pinch of cumin, ginger, and coriander)
9. Sunflower seeds
10. Goat's milk
 


Ayurvedic Recipes

Kitchari
This is a simple, easily digested stew that can prepare the body for cleansing. It is also suitable for coming off of a cleanse. It can also be prepared with quinoa or other gluten-free grains.

1 part brown basmati rice, soaked for at least 1/2 hour and drained
1 part mung beans, soaked in water for at least 1 hour and drained
1 part vegetables (green beans, carrots, spinach and other green vegetables)
3-6 parts water (depends on how soupy you want it)

Heat ghee (clarified butter) or olive oil in a pan over moderate heat. Add cumin or coriander seeds. Then add 1 medium onion, finely chopped, chopped ginger and garlic and saute until golden brown. Stir in 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp. of black pepper powder, and 1 bay leaf. Add mung beans, water, vegetables, and rice.

Cover.  Cook for 20-30 minutes. When the beans are completely soft, add a pinch of salt. Serve this dish with ghee and chopped fresh coriander leaves.


Ghee (Clarified Butter)
Ghee is made by placing unsalted butter in a pan and letting it melt and simmer on very low heat. The butter may look cloudy and there may be foam at the top. In the first five minutes, stir the butter occasionally. Leave the butter to continue simmering for another 15 minutes. You will see the particles sink to the bottom of the pan and foam will settle at the top.

As soon as the sediment at the bottom starts to brown, remove the pan from the heat. Skim off and discard the foam. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve or muslin into a glass jar.

The Benefits of Ayurvedic

Ayurveda is the ancient medical system of India. Instead of having to guess which foods, supplements, and behaviors are appropriate for you, there is a prescriptive path that is developed for your unique body type, or dosha. This takes all the guesswork out of getting healthy. The benefits to this holistic approach to health encompass your physical, emotional and mental well-being and put you in balance. 


The three ayurvedic body types, or doshas, are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each dosha has a unique set of characteristics. There are several ways to determine your body type. The most accurate is through the detailed history and physical by an ayurvedic physician. However, even taking a quick ayurvedic quiz will provide you with tremendous insight into your principal dosha. Most people are a combination of two doshas, but one typically predominates.

To determine out your dominant dosha, take this quiz. 

I'm Pitta, followed by Vata (mostly for the cold tendencies).  As I mentioned, to show strong tendencies for two doshas is not uncommon.  Often you can determine your dominant dosha simply from following the diet for one, and seeing if your symptoms or deficiencies improve.  If not, then try the other.  For me, from a food standpoint that indicates I should typically follow a Pitta diet, but balance with Vata, especially during the cold seasons.

Contrary to what you might think, eating an Ayurvedic diet doesn't mean eating only legumes, rice and vegetables. Basic Ayurveda diet principles can be applied to any cuisine, be it Mediterranean, Asian, European, or whichever one you prefer.  The most important principles of the Ayurvedic plan are that your food is fresh (without pesticides, additives and other chemicals), seasonal, and as often as possible local. Fresh doesn't, however, mean raw. The best are freshly cooked, whole meals. 

Start playing with some basic Ayurvedic spices, such as turmeric, ginger, cumin and coriander. No matter what you cook, you can almost always add these spices to your dish. Not only are those excellent flavor and digestion enhancers, but they also have many medicinal properties.  Once you've determined your dosha, you should try an incorporate as many of those specific spices as possible on a regular basis.  

Ayurveda recognizes six tastes and it's quite important to have all of these 6 tastes in your diet every day. The six tastes are:

• Sweet – sugar, honey, rice, pasta, milk, etc.
• Sour – lemons, hard cheese, yogurt, vinegar, etc.
• Salty – salt, any salty food
• Pungent – chili peppers, cayenne, ginger, any hot spice
• Bitter – leafy greens, turmeric, lettuce, etc.
• Astringent – pomegranate, beans, lentils, etc.

Including all six tastes in your diet contributes to feeling satisfied at the end of a meal. Cravings are often caused by not having all of the six tastes in your daily diet. Many people often omit the bitter and astringent tastes, but when you have something bitter or astringent at the end of a meal, it actually reduces your desire for sweets.  

For Vata dosha, warm soup is a better choice than an ice cold salad (Vata gets balanced with warm quality and aggravated with cold). When eating out, stay away from raw, cold foods and focus on well cooked, warm dishes.

On the other hand, if you have a predominant Pitta dosha, you will do much better with raw food and often salad bars, as well as vegetarian dishes, are great option for you. Stay away from deep fried, garlicky and tomato dishes (anything hot/spicy aggravates Pitta).

If Kapha is your dominant dosha, you will do best with light choices, lightly steamed/cooked veggies, as well as light vegetarian dishes, are a great choice for you. Stay away from dishes that are heavy/oily, with lots of cheese, sour cream and that are fried. 

"Anyone who believes that anything can be suited to everyone is a great fool, because medicine is practised not on mankind in general, but on every individual in particular."  - Henri de Mondeville

Clean It Up: From the Inside Out

Practiced for centuries by many cultures around the world - detoxification is about resting, cleaning and nourishing the body from the inside out. By removing and eliminating toxins, then feeding your body with healthy nutrients, detoxifying can help protect you from disease and renew your ability to maintain optimum health.

For the next 6 weeks, I've decided to clean up my act.  I'm already a firm believer that a plant-based, whole-foods diet is the smart alternative from both a personal and environmental standpoint.  And I exercise regularly.  But I am human.  I like coffee, Sun Chips, carrot cake with lots of cream cheese frosting, wine + beer, aged gouda, and a whole host of other food items that are not only not providing good nutrition to my body, but actually detracting from the other good things.  

After considerable research, I've opted to follow a version of a liver detox diet incorporating Ayurvedic, Raw and Macrobiotic principles (also quite similar to what's recommended in "Eat Right 4 Your Type" for type A blood).  Why this one?  It makes sense.  I was looking for a detox plan that cleanses your colon and liver, the body's main filtering organs.  I also like that it has an elimination component so you can also check yourself for any allergies (wheat and dairy) and addictions (sugar, caffeine and alcohol).  To begin,

There are 10 critical habits to break:

1.   Wheat
2.   Dairy
3.   Caffeine
4.   Alcohol
5.   Bad Fats  
6.   Sugar
7.   Eating out of season  
8.   Meat
9.   All GMO Foods  
10. Preservatives

There are 5 habits to make:

1.   Drink 8 glasses of water daily
2.   Eat 5 big superfoods each day
3.   Maximize intake of antioxidants
4.   Consume detoxifying minerals
5.   Do detox exercises every day

Details and explanations for much of this can be found in the book "The 9-Day Liver Detox Diet" by Patrick Holford.  I was able to find it at my local library. Though Holford gives meal plans for entire program, I'm taking the philosophy a step further.  I plan on making my own meal plan, so I'll share some easy, taste-tested  recipes and overall meal structure in the coming weeks.

Consider incorporating as many of these extra detoxification habits into your routine as possible.  Not only now - they're great on a regular basis to improve overall health.

• Detoxifying your home - switch to natural cleaners
• Reduce stress - spend more time outdoors and try to meditate for at least 10 minutes every day when you first wake
• Take 10 minutes of your morning to do 2 sets of Sun Salutations (hatha style - holding each pose for 30 seconds).  It's a great way to stretch your muscles, loosen joints, and set your intention for the day.
• Exercise 30-60 minutes a day - Yoga is particularly good, or other aerobic activity
• Beware of electromagnetic pollution - don't keep your phone on your body
• Clean your air - open windows to clear out carbon dioxide build-up
• Start your day with a large glass of hot water with juice of half an organic lemon
• Breathe deeply to allow oxygen to circulate more completely through your system - I find this particularly good to do right before meditating to help me focus. Try a yogic alternate nostril breathing exercise like "Nadi Sodhana"
• Get 8 hours of sleep every night
• Take Glutamine, a liver compound that drives away toxins (available in powder form)
• Cleanse and protect the liver by taking herbs such as dandelion root, burdock and milk thistle, and drinking green tea
• Don't eat 3 hours before bedtime (giving yourself a 12-16 hour break of not eating) so your body can heal itself and not simply work to digest food.  Check out the great interview on "Forum".
• Get a massage - it physically stimulates your body’s natural elimination system, helping to move the garbage out
• Sweat in a sauna, or bathe in epsom salts, so your body can eliminate wastes through perspiration
• Incorporate hot & cold hydrotherapy to speed up the elimination process
• Dry-brush your skin every morning or evening, or scrub your body with a hot, moist towel, to remove toxins through the pores

Maintaining and improving health is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves.  Love yourself, and clean up your act!

 

How Toxic are You?

Toxic agents are everywhere in our world.  They assault us daily through stress, pollutants, additives and chemicals in our food, water and air, furnishings, cleaners and more.  Because toxins are part of our daily life, both inside and out, it may seem that they're a natural part of living and that taking measures to deal with them is unnecessary.  Not true.

Despite overwhelming advancements in medical care our society is sicker than ever.  We may be living longer, but we’re riddled with illness and disease.  Nearly all sickness in industrialized countries is due to toxic build up in the body.   

Studies show that everyone should detoxify at least once a year.  

Detoxification is so important because it can literally reverse the symptoms of illness and change your life.  It can also be used as a tool to discover food allergies and addictions.  Here are 20 reasons why it's great to detoxify.

There's an easy quiz you can take to check if you need to detox.

You've heard it your whole life - You are what you eat.  Food is medicine, if you choose wisely, but many of the foods we consume are actually undermining our health in ways we don't even realize.  To take responsibility for our health, we have to become more aware of what we're putting into our bodies.

Detoxification is on my own personal list of resolutions for the year.  I've been doing tons of research on the myriad of options and suggestions.  It is a bit overwhelming, but I am finding lots of commonality between many of them.  Remember, it's really a "detox", not a "diet", though the goal is that you will make long term changes in your eating habits.  My next 6 weeks of posts are going to focus on my findings, and provide some recommendations that I hope will make the process seem less daunting.  This is a bit of a departure from my usual topics, but good health is part of what makes me happy, and I don't take it for granted.  Detox should be a positive experience - YOU are taking initiative to make yourself healthier and more balanced.  Should you choose to make it a habit, it's a benefit you'll reap your whole, long life.

Detoxification rules can seem intimidating, but they don’t have to be.  You don’t have to do a 30-day juice cleanse or the "Master Cleanse" (tried it, hated it) to get the benefits of detoxification.  The best part of it is that the most natural way to cleanse your filtering organs is by eating tasty, fresh foods like these.

Research different options and find one that works best for you, and then try it!  Even if this is your first attempt at cleansing at least go for 3 to 7-days to really start seeing the benefits.  Remember that years of toxic build up are in there and it takes some time to flush them out.  There are few unpleasant side effects that accompany detoxification as your organs let go of the accumulated plaque that has built up over the years.  These typically only last the first few days, and are often not very severe unless you're dealing with an addiction.  Definitely consult a doctor before starting any type of cleanse. Food for thought.  Much more to come...

"You pray for good health and a body that will be strong in old age. Good -- but your rich foods block the gods' answers and tie Jupiter's hands."               

- Persius (34AD - 62AD), a Roman poet and satirist